


A Moment of Solace

by LadyPaigeC



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Descriptions of war, Dimension-Hopping Rose, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode AU: s04e12 The Stolen Earth, F/M, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, NSFW, Reunions, Sex, Smut, Telepathic Bond, Telepathic Sex, Telepathy, Time War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-22 07:01:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11962164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyPaigeC/pseuds/LadyPaigeC
Summary: Dimension-Hopping Rose lands on a war torn planet amidst the Time War. She is looking for her Doctor, but instead she finds one that needs her more. The Eighth Doctor is running from any involvement the Time Lords want from him, and finds a beacon of hope in the form of one Rose Tyler. Maybe they can help each other?





	1. Chapter 1

Rose clutched her gun to her chest and dropped to the ground. She looked around for a place to take cover amid the intense battle she’d stumbled into. It was her first jump after the technicians at Torchwood had linked her TARDIS key to the dimension cannon. The idea was that locking onto the TARDIS would make her jumps safer. She knew that the Doctor and safe didn’t always go together, but it was better than being randomly chucked through dimensional walls to what had usually been the wrong universe. She snorted as she considered the battlefield. _Probably better._

Rose made her way across the clearing to a rocky outcrop where she could take cover from the blaster rays and flying projectiles. She climbed to the top of the stone pile, to see if there was any sign of the Doctor. She had nearly thirty minutes of waiting until the cannon was recharged enough that she could make the jump back. By her reckoning, there was no reason to waste an opportunity just because of a little danger. 

Rose’s heart broke as she surveyed the landscape below. A small village sat smoldering, nearly every home destroyed. Small fires lit up the countryside. She could hear gunfire beyond a forest to her south, and see bodies of the dead left where they had fallen. She looked up to the lavender sky and could just make out flying aircraft through the thick smoke. She heard a whistling sound and turned as a missile crashed to the ground. She was nearly knocked down by the resultant ground quake. The rumble had displaced some of the rocks beneath her feet, and she was feeling less secure by the second. She glanced quickly toward the crater caused by the bomb and noticed it had leveled half the forest. Rose caught sight of something blue that she never would have noticed had the trees still been standing. She gingerly made her way back down to ground level. 

If the hint of blue was the TARDIS, this could be what she’d been looking nearly 4 years for - a way back to her Doctor. After 7 months of an active dimension cannon program and 31 unsuccessful attempts, this is the closest she had ever come to finding her husband and bondmate. She carefully made her way south toward the fighting and hopefully the TARDIS.

After a short but arduous hike through the heavy fighting, she finally saw the most welcome sight in the multiverse - a beautiful blue police box that brought tears to her eyes. She paused to send a message to Torchwood control telling them she had located the TARDIS and was taking the dimension cannon off of automatic recall and placing it onto manual. She scanned the hundred yards or so from the treeline to the TARDIS and determined the only thing she could do was to make a run for it. She unclipped the TARDIS key from the back of the dimension cannon and took off running. 

She was feet from the doors when she released a sigh of relief. _Home._

A searing pain ripped through her shoulder and her key fell to the ground. She collapsed to her knees and gasped for breath as her eyesight blurred. Tears prickled at her eyes, this was not how their reunion was supposed to go. Rose felt a fog descending on her mind as black spots began dotting her vision. Gathering all her remaining strength and fighting off the darkness, she pulled herself to her feet and leaning against the doors pounded once.

\-------------------

The Doctor made his way angrily to the console room and pressed a few buttons that finally stopped the klaxons that had been blaring for the last 26 minutes and 32 seconds. He glared at the time rotor. “Well? What is it that’s got you so worked up that it merited the alarms? You know I was at a delicate moment in creating the antiserum I’ve been working on all day!” The Doctor worked his way around the console. “I’m not seeing another message from the Counsel...surprisingly. There’s no incoming S.O.S.” He flicked on the monitor to view outside. “I don’t even see that the fighting has gotten uncomfortably close. So what is more important than the lives I’m trying to save here?” The uncomfortable thought floated through the Doctor’s mind that his help was but a plaster on a severed artery. If this War didn’t end soon, then it didn’t matter how many people he helped, the universe would be dead. He quickly buried that line of thinking. “Well, are you going to answer me?”

The TARDIS sent an image of the front doors. He looked that way and jumped slightly when he heard a muffled bump against it. His gaze darted to the viewscreen. Seeing nothing there, he walked cautiously to the doors and opened them slowly. The very last thing he was expecting was for a blonde female to collapse through the doors and into his arms. 

He stood frozen in shock until the TARDIS’s worried humming spurred him into action. He dragged her across the threshold and laid her down just inside the doors. He turned and noticed a few items scattered on the ground that must belong to the woman - a gun ( _surprising_ ), some sort of transporter disc ( _curious_ ), and a TARDIS key ( _impossible_ ). He collected them for her and then turned to look at this intriguing stranger. She looked young and human. _How did she get to Zemraeujkut?_ She was beautiful, but pale, so very pale. He looked down and noticed a pool of blood forming under her right shoulder.

His hearts skipped a beat and the darkness that most days he could keep pushed to the side began to press upon on his soul. Suddenly he was tired, so very tired. Of the War...the never ending fighting and violence and death and losing people. Of the Time Lords and the Daleks. _Who can tell the difference anymore?_ The TARDIS gave him the equivalent of a mental slap and he snapped back to reality. _You’re absolutely right, Old Girl. I’m the Doctor. If anyone can save her, it's me._ And it was suddenly vitally important for the Doctor to save this one girl.

The Doctor scooped her up into his arms and strode down the corridor to the infirmary.


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor brushed a lock of hair back behind the ear of his sleeping patient before leaning back in his chair. It had been touch and go there for a bit. She really had lost a lot of blood and there was a moment where he didn’t think she was going to make it. _Who is she?_

He studied her for clues, she certainly looked human. _Ordinary even._ Hair a bottle blonde with roots coming in slightly darker. Long, dark eyelashes fluttering along with her dreams. Cheeks flushed and almost imperceptibly rising and falling with each warm breath. A wide, pouty mouth that begged to be kissed. The Doctor startled. _Where on Gallifrey did that thought come from?_ He hadn’t entertained thoughts like that in years. He’d learned it hurt less if he didn’t get attached, and not to mention he hadn’t even properly met this woman. _And when has that ever stopped you?_ The Doctor blushed and pushed away that line of thinking.

There was nothing in any of her tests that had come back that should make him suspect she was anything other than she appeared. There was, however, a niggling in the back of his mind, it was like an itch that couldn’t be scratched. His hand brushed her bandaged shoulder. _Flesh and blood - as susceptible to blasters as any other._ His finger pressed against her pulse and found comfort in its steady beat. _One heart - persistently beating._ He smiled and shook his head. _Indomitable humans._

The Doctor squinted as he realized what it was about her that was bothering him so much. He couldn’t see even a hint of her timelines. _Not so ordinary then._ He was particularly adroit at reading them this go around. Hers though...he knew they were there, but it was like his mind was telling him not to look. He’d never come across any beings that could hide their timeline in such a manner and certainly never a human. Trying to look at her timeline was, if he was honest, a lot like trying to look at his own...forbidden.

The Doctor felt the stirrings of excitement begin to build in his chest. Between running from the Council to avoid joining the War and helping out what little he could, he’d had very little time for mystery the past few decades. And here he had a lovely enigma laid out before him.

The Doctor couldn’t help himself, he leaned forward and caressed her cheek. “Who are you?” As he pulled away, his fingers brushed lightly over her temples. A tingle raced from his fingers, up his arms, and spread throughout his body. He froze in shock. A warmth settled in his hearts and his mind flared with the presence of his bondmate. _Bond-- What?_ He was inundated with the love that was pouring off of the young woman for himself. _Rose...Her name is Rose._

Rose’s eyes flickered open, but remained bleary. “Doctor?”

“I, er…I am the Doctor, but probably not the one you’re expecting?”

Groggily, Rose reached for the Doctor’s hand and tugged him closer. “Mmmm. Come to bed. Don’ wanna waste any time with you before I hafta to wake up.”

“Wake up?”

Rose laid her cheek on his palm. “Yeah, ‘larm’s always goin’ off too soon. Miss you.”

“You think you’re dreaming?” Rose made a sleepy murmur of assent and the Doctor couldn’t stop the small grin that pulled at his lips. “Does that make me the man of your dreams?”

Rose let out a huff that was part amusement, part exasperation. “Shut up.” She curled up and tapped the empty mattress beside her. “Less talking more cuddling. ‘S my dream.” 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Hardly ever visit my dreams anymore, don’ wanna forget you.” The Doctor’s hearts broke at the pain in her voice and he found himself crawling into bed behind her. 

Rose turned and snuggled into his chest with a happy hum. Love and a contentment unlike anything he’d ever felt before washed over him. _The bond._

He looked worriedly down at the woman in his arms. _Why is she separated from me? Why am I not here to protect her? She nearly died today. And what was I thinking bonding myself to a human? At least I know why I couldn’t see her timelines. If the Time Lords catch wind of this...it doesn’t bear thinking of._ The Doctor shuddered. And then as if a switch was turned, all his worries dissolved, and a feeling of peace took their place. He gaped at his sleeping bondmate. _How did she do that? I didn’t know--_

“Shhh, Doctor.” _You haven’t been sleeping. Even in my dreams I can tell. You need to take better care of yourself._

He was overcome with love for her, his magnificent Rose. His arms tightened around her, and she mentally wrapped him in her embrace. His eyes grew heavy and a delicious feeling of languor spread through his body. _A short kip can’t hurt._

\-------------------

Rose, propped on one elbow, studied the man asleep before her. _The man my husband once was, er, currently happens to be? Not sure how previous regenerations think of me...wife? Future wife? The bond is there and feels the same, but we technically haven’t met. Bit weird, that._

It wasn’t that she was unfamiliar with all her husband’s previous forms, but whenever she thought of her husband’s eighth body, her mind went to the long haired, velvet adorned romantic. It seemed almost wrong for this face to be so lined and heavy-hearted. 

She ran her fingers through his sleep mussed curls. They weren’t close cropped, like his Ninth body’s, but certainly nowhere near the extravagant curls of this form’s early days. This was the Doctor running from the Time War. Her heart broke thinking of all that was yet to come.

His eyes opened and the piercing blue, so much like her first Doctor, caused the breath to catch in her throat. She cupped his jaw and smiled down at him. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you.”

He focused inwards and his eyes widened. “Not a dream.”

Rose’s grin grew wider and she shook her head. “No. Not a dream.”

“7 hours and 27 minutes. I haven’t slept so long or so well in quite some time.”

She lightly ruffled his hair. “I know, but you needed it.” 

The Doctor scrambled back and quickly got out of the small bed. “Where am I?”

Rose looked at the Doctor in surprise followed quickly by a growing concern. She opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off. “Not this me. I know where I am, but future me. Why aren’t I with you? What’re you doing here? You were shot. You could’ve died! How did you even get to this planet?”

Rose again tried to answer, but then he turned and began pacing the room. “And we have a bond. A telepathic, marriage bond. They've been out of fashion for centuries. And with a human! What was I thinking? If the Time Lords find out…” The Doctor stopped and looked back at Rose. She was perched on the edge of the bed, glaring at him, and had her arms crossed over her chest. He could almost feel the waves of anger radiating from her. No, he could definitely feel her anger. _Right, the bond. I knew there was a reason I preferred to remain a bachelor..._ Rose narrowed her eyes further. He swallowed hard. “Right. Erm, that was rude wasn’t it? Sorry.”

Rose’s tried to maintain the glare, but her lips twitched and then she snorted. “Oh, Doctor. You really are the same man, no matter what face you’re wearin’ aren’t you? God, I don’t know what I’d do with myself if one day you ended up with red-hair and manners.” 

“You’re...not mad?”

“I’m bloody furious, but with you that’s nothing new. I know you’re a rude git with no filter half the time. But you’re my rude git. An’ I love you regardless.”

“You what?”

Rose rolled her eyes at entering such familiar territory. “I love you.”

“You mean...in the future.”

Rose approached the Doctor and took his hand, interlacing their fingers. She closed her eyes and focused on their bond, purposely strengthening the connection. His mind welcomed hers, and it was like coming home. There was a sense of rightness, two halves of the same whole once again complete. She felt a pang in the region of her heart at how much she’d missed this. She pushed the hurt away, she wasn’t going to let anything even faintly tarnish this experience, and instead allowed her happiness and love to flow between them. “I mean...I love _you._ My Doctor. No matter the face.” Rose said a word then that the TARDIS didn’t translate, then again she didn’t have to.

The Doctor’s knees wobbled. A vast universe of feelings and emotions unfurled before the Doctor. It was the complete opposite of what he had been taught was appropriate as a Time Lord, and yet it was everything he had ever wanted. _Why do I remain a bachelor for so long?_

He could feel his wife’s amusement. "Well, I have to say, I am glad you waited til you met me."

She felt a hint of guilt from him before he managed to suppress it. She was about to question him when the beauty of their bond engulfed her. She basked in the energy buildup caused by the ebb and flow of the emotions that drifted along the bond. She allowed it to fill the all the empty corners of her heart and mind that had been barren since her separation from her bondmate. The rush invigorated her, and she thought back to her bonding with the Doctor. That first time was overwhelming as her mind adjusted to presence of another, but this...this was euphoria. Power surged through her. The Doctor gasped and stumbled back. Rose’s eyes flew open and gold swirled in their depths briefly before dissipating.

The Doctor looked at her in shock. “Who are you?”

Rose titled her head. “Rose. Your wife and bondmate.”

“No, I got that. But you’re...you’re completely impossible.” Rose’s lips twitched. “What?”

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

“Why didn’t you stop me before when I lamented about you being human? What are you?”

Rose’s eyebrow lifted. “I’m human.” The Doctor snorted. “I am. I was born in London.”

Now it was the Doctor’s turn to arch his brow. “Can’t be. I mean the accent’s right...but human?”

“If I even hear the word ‘ape’ cross your lips, so help me…you’ll get a smack you will.”

“I’d never…”

“Oh, you have.”

The Doctor’s mouth fell open. “You’re my chosen bondmate. Am I that changed in the future that I’d think nothing of disrespecting my beloved?”

Rose blushed. “You were a bit rough around the edges when I first met you.” She looked coyly at the Doctor through her eyelashes. “Beloved?”

The Doctor smiled softly. “Even now Rose, I can tell. You scare me, but there there is this pull between us, and I’m not even talking about the bond, though there is that. It’s this…” His head tilted and his eyes unfocused. “It’s as if the universe is calling my attention to you. Touched by time. Made for me. Mine.” The Doctor blinked and looked at Rose. “It’s too great for me to ignore. Apparently our love transverses time and space.” 

Rose smiled tearily at the Doctor and he opened his arms to her. She buried her head in the crook of his neck. “Oh, Doctor…”

“Where am I, Rose? Why are we not together?” He rested his cheek on the top of her head.

Rose sighed and pulled back. “I…” Rose looked down and was startled to realize she was in a vest and shorts and nothing else. “What happened to my clothes?”

The Doctor blushed. “You got hit by a blaster ray and were injured and bleeding profusely. I managed to fix you up and the TARDIS...I...she...we thought you’d be more comfortable...I…” 

Rose stroked his cheek. “‘S okay. I’ve done the same for you.”

“Yes, well I’m your husband.”

“I’m your wife.”

“I didn’t know that at the time.”

“You weren’t my husband at the time. So I guess we’re even.” She smiled with a hint of tongue at the corner.

“I wasn’t...wait, is this an argument? Are we having a marital bicker?”

Rose looked at him and shrugged. “I don’t know, you seemed a bit defensive about the whole thing.” Rose raised an eyebrow. “Do you maybe feel guilty for peeking?”

“I most certainly did not! Peek that is.”

“Yeah, I didn’t either…” She smiled slyly and looked down at the front of his trousers. “...much.”

The Doctor sputtered. “I...you...what?”

Rose took the Doctor’s hand and laughingly tugged him from the med bay. “C’mon, Doctor, we have a fair bit to talk about, and I could do with a cuppa.”

\-------------------

Rose lightly blew the steam from the cup she held between her hands. She curled her legs up and settled back into the wingback chair in the Doctor’s parlor. She looked curiously around the console room. It was so very different from the one she was used to. It was bigger yet felt very homey. Rose glanced at the Doctor and noticed him studying her. 

“‘S nice in here. The Old Girl doesn’t look like this in my proper timeline.”

“I like it.”

“Yeah. It’s very warm and welcoming in here. Our console room is more...utilitarian, but we don’t spend a lot of time in here, unless we’re actively travelin.’ We use lotsa the other rooms though.”

The Doctor stiffened briefly before taking a sip of his tea. 

Rose drank her tea and looked consideringly at the Doctor. 

She said mildly, “I can see not havin’ much reason to leave this room.”

The Doctor sighed. “What do you really want to know, Rose?”

“Just...are you lonely?”

The Doctor closed his eyes. “I’m tired.” He looked back at her and his expression was bleak. “So tired of losing people. It feels easier to take a break from companions for a bit. And if I spend all my time here, well I’m very comfortable.”

Rose set her tea down on the small, round end table between them and walked over to the Doctor. He seemed startled that she had appeared before him. She slowly sank into his lap and wrapped him in a hug. “What…”

“Shhh.” She laid her head on his shoulder and simply held him. Eventually he loosened his tight muscles and took comfort in her presence. “You’re so much like my first Doctor. He needed people too.”

“First?”

Rose shrugged. “I stayed.” The Doctor looked at her in wonder. “Not that my current Doctor does any better on ‘is own. Rubbish alone, all of ya.”

The Doctor hugged her tighter. 

“I meet the next you. And at first I thought he was a bit cynical ‘cos that’s what you wanted people to think, but I quickly realized he was jus’ hurt...and sensitive. Liked to hide that from everyone, but that’s what I fell in love with. Your hearts. You like to say that I’m the compassionate one, an’ I try to be but it’s because you taught me the way...a better way of living.”

“Where am I, Rose? Please. Please tell me.”

“We got separated while protectin’ the Earth. It was just one of those things.”

“Separated?” The Doctor could see Rose thinking, debating with herself. “I’m going to have to forget this, you can tell me.”

Rose smiled softly. “I know, but even so there are some things I absolutely cannot say.”

“I trust you to know the difference. Brilliant as you are.”

Rose’s smile stretched into a radiant grin. She leaned up and kissed him easily. “A parallel world.”

The Doctor blinked. The innocent kiss had scrambled his wits. “What about a parallel world?”

“I’m stuck in one.” The Doctor’s confusion grew. “Well, obviously not right now. But I’ve been jumping dimensions tryin’ to find the right one, the one where you are.”

“Why didn’t I just have the TARDIS scan for you and pick you up? It’s not diffic--well, not easy, especially if I don’t want the Time Lords to find out about you, but certainly not impossible.” Rose bit her lip. “You don’t think it’s because I don’t want to, do you?”

She glanced up at his panicked face. “No. Never that.” She looked at her hands.

“Then what?”

Rose’s gaze flickered to his. 

“Ah, the Time War?”

Rose nodded. “The...uh, the universe was greatly damaged by it. It’s still recovering. And pan dimensional travel is one of those things that has become near impossible and very dangerous.”

“But you’re doing it!”

“I’m a tiny little blip slipping through. Not the same as a TARDIS. Makes it a bit easier.”

“I wasn’t talking about the impossibility, I was talking about your safety.”

“Nah, made of tough stuff, me.”

“Did you forget how we met? This us. Earlier today, you’d been shot and nearly died in my arms.”

“I know, Doctor, but the situation is more important than me.”

“Nothing is more important than you.”

She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “That’s very sweet, but I love you because you’re the man who does what’s right. Not always what’s easy.”

“Rose...”

“It should be impossible for me to cross dimensions, but the walls aren’t as stable as they were when I was first trapped. And though that’s good news for me, because now I have hope of seeing you again, it’s horrible for the rest of the multiverse.”

“You have found me.”

“What?”

“We’re together right now. I can help you.”

“What I wouldn’t give for that to be true, but…you, this you, can’t run forever. You’re needed elsewhere. It’s too important.”

“I can’t. You know what’s coming and…I just can’t.”

Rose hugged the Doctor wrapped him tightly in a mental embrace. “I know.”

He shivered with the intimacy. “That bad, eh?”

“I...I can’t tell you.”

“What you can’t say paints a pretty good picture.”

“I’m sorry.”

“But...the bright side is you’ll be waiting for me on the other side, right? I have that to look forward to?”

Rose fought down a sob, and buried her head in his neck. “Yes. Yes, Doctor. I promise, I’ll be there when it’s all over.”

He rubbed her back. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not, but it will be. I know you can’t remember this, but if there’s anything I’d want you to it’s that. It will get better.”

They sat there taking comfort simply from holding each other.

The Doctor leaned forward. “Here’s the plan…”

Rose teased, “You’ve got a plan? That can’t be good.” 

The Doctor clutched her tighter. “Hush. First we’re going to deliver the antiserum I’ve been working on for the locals. The town elder is an amazing man. Known him for years. I first visited here in my fourth body. He’s brilliant and a great friend. He’s managed to keep his whole town safe, even after all their homes were destroyed. They’ve been living in a system of caves a few miles away, but everyone’s alive and together. I think you’ll get on with his daughter. She’s smart and loyal and something fierce. Reminds me a bit of you.” Rose rolled her eyes. 

“What do they need an antiserum for?”

The Doctor’s expression hardened. “The daleks have been testing chemical and biological weapons here and I promised to help.”

Rose squeezed the Doctor’s hand. “I know you’ll do everything you can for them.”

The Doctor was quiet, but after a moment his eyes brightened. “And after that we’re going to find future me and reunite you both.”

“What? Isn’t crossin’ your own timelines against the rules?”

The Doctor eyes danced merrily. “One, I’m a Time Lord, Rose. I’ve met myself on more than one occasion and for far less important reasons than reuniting with the love of my lives. And two, I’ve never been very good at following the rules.”

Rose’s giggle lightened the dread that had been following this Doctor for sometime, and he couldn’t resist stealing a kiss.

“Now, go get dressed.”


	3. Chapter 3

Rose and the Doctor walked hand in hand from the TARDIS toward the small settlement of refugees he’d promised to help. The Doctor was regaling her with some of this incarnation’s adventures. 

“...and she was traveling through time in a bright red, double-decker bus. Which in actuality was her TARDIS!”

Rose giggled and smiled brightly. “Blimey. Thank goodness ours is a police box. Drivin’s bad enough without having to worry about actual motorists.” 

The Doctor mock gasped. “Why Rose Tyler, insulting my driving are you? I’ll have you know--”

Rose stopped the Doctor with her lips. 

When they pulled apart, the Doctor stood there doing nothing but blinking at her. She patted his shoulder and winked. “Yup, still got it.” She clasped his hand, and tugged him after her.

With the Doctor still silent, Rose had an opportunity to look around. Her brow furrowed. It was much quieter than it had been on her arrival. In fact there were no signs whatsoever that there was a war going on. The sky was clear. There were no people anywhere to be seen. Even the destruction from the bomb she watched fall was gone. A sinking feeling settled over Rose and she clenched more tightly to the Doctor’s hand.

“Doctor?”

“Hmmm?”

“Where is everybody?”

“What?” The Doctor pulled to a stop and looked around. He finally saw what Rose had noticed. He closed his eyes and focused on the ever present timelines. His eyes popped open and he wanted to scream, but was unable to manage more than a whispered, “No...”

Rose shivered from the sorrow the Doctor was projecting. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“They’re gone. Everyone’s gone.”

“Gone? Gone where?”

“They’ve been erased from existence. As far as time is concerned, they’ve never been.”

“But…how can that...I can remember them.”

The Doctor ran his hand over his face which at that moment showed every minute of his impossibly long life. “We’re time travelers, it...it changes the way we see the universe. Combine that with the fact that we were in the TARDIS, which exists both in this time and outside of this time, and at the eye of the storm, so to speak...all of that allows us to more easily remember the other timeline.”

“I...still don’t see how a whole world of people could simply cease to exist...killed, yeah, but just never been?”

“The Time War is being fought through time as well as space, in the very vortex itself. Both sides are going back to try bend time in their favor, maybe eliminate someone who created a particularly successful weapon before they were born, things like that, and soon enough their children and their children’s children and all of their successes are wiped out and it causes horrific ripples to the timestream. Those ripples have the power to unravel everything in its wake.” 

“But how can either side allow fightin’ like that to happen? Couldn’t they wipe themselves out? I don’t understand.”

The Doctor wanted to lie to her so badly, protect her from the harsh reality that his people had become. His shame. But as he looked into her eyes, he could see that she saw him, and loved him anyway. Her eyes softened with a gentle smile for him. “It goes against everything that comes with the responsibility of traveling in time. And the Time Lords know better, but...but they are willing to stop at nothing to win. They’ve become no better than daleks. It’s why I won’t join the fight. I can’t be party to it. I...simply cannot.”

Rose wrapped her arms around his waist and the Doctor buried his head in the crook of her shoulder. “Oh, Doctor. I’m so sorry.”

“When I focus, I can feel the echoes of their timelines. All their potential - possibilities that once danced and sang to me are discordant and distorted.”

“Don’t focus on it then. Focus on me.” Rose lifted his head so that she could see his eyes.

The Doctor looked away and off into the distance. “I’ve heard from my friends that the Could’ve Been King has joined the fight against us. Blames the Time Lords for exiling him at the dawn of creation. He’s figured out a way to tap into the unused potential of a negated life and these time ripples are birthing armies of Meanwhiles and Neverweres. All those people erased from their lives to be impressed into his service for eternity.” 

A chill ran down his spine.

He grasped her more firmly to him. “It’s unthinkable, Rose.”

She nodded.

“I don’t see how the universe can possibly survive this.”

Rose pulled back slightly from their embrace. “You save it. You’re the Doctor. An’ now you’re helpin’ it heal.”

“I’m just one man, and not even a good man at that. All I excel at is running away. I never stop. I like to think I help where I can, but I cause more trouble than I’m worth half the time. And this war...I...they want me on the front lines. I’m getting messages from Brax and Romana and the Counsel almost daily. I don’t want to go, but I don’t know how much longer I can put them off. ”

Rose ran her fingers through the Doctor’s curls and rubbed his scalp. His eyes drifted closed. “You’re the very best man I know. I trust that you’ll do what’s right, even if it is the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do. And you are important, so very important. You have helped and will help so many people.” She reached up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. They did nothing but breathe the same air for a moment and then he opened to her, mind and body. She sent her love and support to him across their bond, as she deepened their kiss. 

Rose pulled back panting. “Let’s get home, yeah?” He remained quiet, but nodded. She took his hand in hers and leaned her head on his shoulder.

\-------------------

The Doctor looked up at Rose with a stricken expression. 

“I’m sorry, Rose. She won’t do it. Won’t let me bring you home to me.”

Rose pulled him into her arms. “I…” Rose closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “God, I was really hoping this would be the end.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“‘S not your fault. She must have a reason, yeah?” Her voice was trying to stay positive, but she couldn’t stop the overwhelming pain from leaking through her shields and across the bond. 

“I swear to you, Rose. On my lives, I will figure out a way to get you home.”

The Doctor moved frantically around the TARDIS controls, flicking switches and turning knobs. It didn’t appear to Rose to be going very well. She sighed and sat down in the Doctor’s armchair.

He tugged at his hair and his eyes widened in excitement. He bent down behind the console and removed a panel beneath it. He took out his sonic and started pulling on wires. The TARDIS unhappy with his fiddling, sent shocks to his fingers.

“Ow. What did you do that for?” He put his fingers in his mouth. “I’m trying to help Rose!” The TARDIS sent a volley of sparks along the wires toward the crouching Doctor, before he jumped back and landed on his bum. 

The Doctor stood rubbing his behind and slammed the panel shut. He gave it a kick for good measure. “Why are you being so difficult?”

The TARDIS hummed angrily and the Doctor glared at the time router. The Doctor tried one more time to key in a set of coordinates and the TARDIS changed them back to their present location before he’d even finished. He slammed his hand down on the control panel and his eyes went to the rubber mallet he hadn’t needed in years. 

Rose ran up to him before he could grab it. She shook her head at him. “Don’t. I have the dimension cannon. I can try again.”

“Absolutely not. It’s too dangerous.”

“I’ve been jumping for 7 months, Doctor. And on the first jump after linking it to my TARDIS key, I found you. You have no idea how much hope that’s given me. I know I’ll find the right you.”

“I don’t want you to have to keep jumping through the void. I know she can find the me in your proper timeline...and I...I can’t believe she won’t do it for you.”

Rose put her hand on the Doctor’s shoulder. “I trust the Old Girl with my life. If she won’t do it, she must have a reason...a good reason.”

The Doctor seemed to deflate at her argument. “Rose, I have to know your safe. If I’m going to join the war effort, I need to know you’ll be there when it’s over.”

“Oh, Doctor. That’s never in doubt. I swear to you that you’ll see me again. In fact, you meet me right after the war ends. When you need me most.”

“I wish I could return the favor.” The Doctor pulled Rose into a hug, and rested his cheek against her temple. 

“Don’t. It’s not your fault.”

“I need you safe. Nothing and no one is going to be safe during the days ahead, and I just need to know that one thing...that _you_ will be.”

Rose sighed. “Doctor, our life is dangerous. And I--”

The Doctor began to tremble. “No, you don’t understand. I cannot, will not, enter into a cruel and senseless war not knowing that you are alive and happy and with my future self. If I have to set aside the promise I made to myself for the sake of the universe, then the universe better damn well give me at least that!” 

Rose ran her hands up and down his back. “It will all work out. We’re the stuff of legends, you and me.”

“I need you safe, need something to hope for.”

“Believe in us. I do.”

The Doctor’s eyes were wide and panicked. “Rose, I always lose everybody...”

“Not me.”

“...I can’t lose you...”

“I’m right here.”

“...They all leave me eventually.”

“I promised you forever, and I intend to keep it.”

“I need you safe. Safe. Rose. I need you…please.” The Doctor was a man on the cusp of hyperventilation, respiratory bypass or no. He looked at her in desperation. “I need you.” 

Rose hauled him down for a kiss and sent as much love and hope and understanding as she could across their bond. Instead of calming him, it made him more frenzied. He held the back of her head with one hand as he licked his way into her mouth. With his other hand he tugged at the hem of her shirt. Rose’s eyes popped open and she pulled back to pant in air. 

“Please, is this alright?”

She could only nod. 

The Doctor pulled the shirt over Rose’s head and kissed his way across her unbandaged collarbone. Her hands scrambled to push the coat from his shoulders. He found the spot where her pulse beat frantically and he soothed it with his tongue before sucking the tender flesh between his lips. Her head fell back and she grabbed at his cravat. He chuckled in her ear. “Let’s not strangle me, darling, and end it before we start.” 

Rose blushed and her hands released the silken material. “Sorry.”

The Doctor kissed Rose sweetly. “Never apologize for losing control at my touch. You’re so bloody beautiful when you let go.”

Rose bit her lip and began to slowly undo the buttons of the Doctor’s waistcoat. He removed his cravat and trailed the end up Rose’s arm before tossing it to the ground. She looked up at him with wide eyes, and he smirked. He ran his fingers down the reverse path and she took a shaky breath. He shrugged out of the waistcoat and let it fall to the floor. Rose reached for the buttons of his shirt.

Her lip quirked. “Always so many layers.”

“It’s--”

“I know.”

He leaned over to nibble her earlobe, while he undid the top button of her jeans. “Does it bother you?”

She shivered. “‘S like unwrappin’ a gift meant just for me.”

The Doctor nipped at her lower lip and pulled down her zipper. “Yes...just for...you.”

Rose brought her hands up the Doctor’s newly exposed chest and settled them over his pounding hearts. They both paused and then Rose lighly scraped her nails over the Doctor’s nipples. He groaned and pulled her against him, kissing her wildly as he shook off his shirt. Her hands snuck between them and she undid his belt and trousers. He unclasped her bra and brought his mouth to her breast. She keened low in her throat and snuck one hand into his pants. She curled her fingers around his hardening cock and rubbed her thumb up and down it’s length. 

“Bedroom, now, Doctor.”

He moaned. “No.”

Rose looked at him in surprise. “No?”

“Here. Please, I…can we...here?” 

The Doctor led her to his armchair and he sat. Rose toed off her trainers. The Doctor leaned forward to remove his high boots, then stood to pull off both pants and trousers, before sitting again. He palmed his erection and took pleasure in the sight of his gorgeous bondmate. Rose having removed most of her own clothing stood before him in just her knickers. She slipped her fingers under the waistband, but before she could push them down, the Doctor stopped her. 

“Let me?” 

Rose stepped closer and the Doctor ran his hand up her silky legs. Her eyes fluttered shut. The Doctor slowly drew her panties down. She rested her hands on his shoulders as she lifted one leg and than the other to step out of the little scrap of cotton. 

They were both breathing heavily as the Doctor guided her to straddle his lap. He glided his hands over her body and she sank slowly down his length. The Doctor’s hands went to her hips and he held her there to adjust to the rapturous feeling of her wet heat surrounding him. Before long she needed to move and squirmed more firmly into his lap. He gasped breathlessly, “Rose!”

Rose wrapped her arms lightly around the Doctor’s neck, and let one hand play with the short curls at his nape. His head fell back and she rocked against him. The position was a bit awkward, but she loved the feeling of intimacy it gave her - pressed together chest to chest, being able to see every emotion cross his face. She let her bliss flow across the bond. He groaned and thrust into her. He gripped her firmly as she found a rhythm that worked for them both. 

“Oh, Doctor!”

Their shared passions rippled between them building and building until the coil tightened and snapped. Rose’s inner muscles pulsated around the Doctor and he poured himself into her. 

“Rose!”

Rose collapsed bonelessly onto the Doctor. She was sticky with sweat and the thought flitted through her mind that she should make the attempt to get cleaned up, but she couldn’t bear to leave his arms just yet. It took her a moment to get past the cloud of post-orgasmic haze, but when she did, she realized the Doctor was shaking beneath her. She looked at his face and his eyes were pressed tight and tears were leaking from the corners. 

She clambered into a sitting position and cupped his jaw. “Doctor, what is it? What’s wrong?”

He shook his head and struggled for breath.

Rose leaned forward, pressed as much of her body as should could against the Doctor, and held him. She ran her fingers through his hair and massaged the back of his scalp. She let one hand trail lazily up and down his arm. She softly told him how much she loved him while projecting the same emotions.

Eventually he calmed and hugged her tighter. “Thank you.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah. It’s just...since the start of the Time War...I’ve been...and the release...I was..."

“It’s okay. You’ve been holding yourself together by a thread, for God knows how long, and the release overwhelmed you. But I know it was good for you. Always is.”

He looked at her in shock. 

She winked at him and smiled. “There’s this other bloke I know...just like you.” Her tongue peeked out playfully from the corner of her grin.

He leaned forward to kiss her when the TARDIS gave a great jolt. Rose nearly fell off the Doctor’s lap, but he grabbed her as she slipped.

“What the…”

The TARDIS moved into the vortex on her own.

The Doctor and Rose scrambled from the chair and rushed to put on clothes. It was a struggle as the TARDIS ride was one of the bumpiest Rose had experienced in a long time. Finally the turbulence stopped and Rose let out a shuddered breath.

“Where are we?”

The Doctor ran to the control panel. “The Medusa Cascade? I haven’t been here since I was a kid. But what are we doing here?”

Rose went to the TARDIS doors and opened them. “Doctor, we’re on Earth.”

“No, that’s not possible.”

“I’m tellin’ ya, that’s London on the other side of these doors.”

The Doctor walked over to where Rose was standing and the doors closed with a bang.

“What?”

“I didn’t...”

The Doctor tried to open them, and they remained firmly shut. The TARDIS humming warningly in his mind.

“Ah, she doesn’t want you to go out there, Doctor. I think this is where we part ways.”

“Wait, I want to do a scan first. Make sure there’s nothing dangerous out there.” 

The Doctor’s shoulders dropped and he sighed. “She won’t tell me anything other than a future me is out there. None of the other readings are coming back properly.”

“That’s the most important information anyway, yeah?”

He nodded and fiddled with a lever on the control panel.

Rose touched his shoulder and he looked up at her.

“I love you and I’m so glad I got to know this you.”

The Doctor pulled her into a hug and breathed in her scent. “Be careful, Rose.”

“I will, Doctor. And even though you won’t remember this for quite some time, I hope that you take with you the fact that you are so, so beloved.”

He released her and stepped back. “Go find me, before I can’t bear to let you leave.”

Rose stood there tears shimmering in her eyes.

“Rose…” The Doctor dragged her into his arms and kissed her desperately but with little finesse. It was a kiss of goodbye.

Rose pulled back from their kiss with a gasp. “It’s not goodbye, Doctor. Out there is a shop girl waiting for you to come into her life and change it for the better. You’ll grab her hand, tell her to ‘run’ and steal her heart while you’re at it. You’ll be the most brilliant and courageous man she’s ever met...she never stood a chance. Now, go and save the universe so you have something to show her.” She leaned up and pecked the corner of his mouth. 

Rose turned and picked up her things from a table in the corner. She shrugged on her blue leather jacket, slung her gun over her shoulder and pocketed the TARDIS key and dimension cannon. She walked slowly to the doors and turned to look at the Doctor who hadn’t moved. “Until we meet again, my Doctor.”

She slipped out the doors and onto a desolate London street. She turned at the sound of the TARDIS dematerializing and watched it fade hoping it wouldn’t be the last time she ever saw it. Squaring her shoulders she picked her way down the street avoiding the detritus scattered about.

She felt compelled to head toward an abandoned church and didn’t stop to question her instincts. They’d never failed her before. At a curve in the road, she stopped short. The TARDIS stood straight ahead. It sang in her mind, but a prickle of apprehension kept her from an all out dash home.

She saw it out of the corner of her eye and she was reaching for her gun before she realized what was in front of her. The dalek was taken care of when it occurred to Rose that she was trembling from head to toe.

“Rose!”

The Doctor, her Doctor, pinstripes and crazy hair, crashed into her knocking the breath from her. He was gripping her tightly and kissing his way across her face. “Rose, Rose, Rose…” _My love. I love you. You’re here._

The weight of the last 4 years lifted from her shoulders and she was snogging him the way she has dreamed of for ages. _I love you too, my Doctor. I've missed you so much._

“It’s not Christmas is it? Because all my dreams are coming true.”

The Doctor and Rose broke apart and looked over at a very amused Jack Harkness and a stunned red-head. Jack crossed his arms and leaned back against the TARDIS. “Don’t stop on my account, but you two might be more comfortable in here.” He inclined his head toward their ship.

Rose blushed and Jack laughed. He turned to look at Donna. “Captain Jack Harkness and who might you be?”

“Donna. Donna Noble.”

“We should get better acquainted. These two are gonna be busy for a while.”

“Jack!” The Doctor rolled his eyes but couldn’t keep the huge smile from his lips. 

“Oi, keep the shagging for later, we have the Earth to save!”

The Doctor held out his hand to Rose, and with fingers laced, they walked back to their home together, just as it should be.


End file.
